More Ways to Transform Your Hotel Operations
Expert insights, case studies, and strategies from hotels using AI to boost revenue and delight guests
For nearly 30 years, Seattle-based Columbia Hospitality has proudly led in property management and hospitality, ensuring exceptional guest experiences and operational excellence. Managing luxury and boutique hotels, resorts, and golf courses across the Pacific Northwest and other U.S. regions, Columbia Hospitality continuously sets industry standards through technology adoption.
Today, Columbia Hospitality maintains a significant presence in the hospitality industry, focusing on team member development and positive work culture. This commitment leads to maximized asset value and outstanding guest satisfaction. By leveraging advanced hotel operations software, they enhance operational efficiency, engage guests, and make data-driven decisions for superior service.
As a tech-forward organization, Columbia Hospitality committed to finding optimal digital tools to achieve operational excellence and high guest satisfaction. With IoT-enabled solutions surging by 38% in 2023, the demand for advanced software solutions supporting smart technology integration continues growing.
Morgan Davis, General Manager of The Finch in downtown Walla Walla, Washington, launched the property with HelloShift and was genuinely impressed by its capabilities. This positive experience inspired Columbia Hospitality to expand HelloShift’s use to other properties, significantly enhancing their operations and guest services.
David Gavaldon, a Task Force Operations Manager at Columbia Hospitality, implemented HelloShift at Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs, The Marcus Whitman, and The Lenox Collection. While there are many hotel management platforms currently on the market, Gavaldon said, “We needed a quick and efficient way to streamline processes for these properties while facilitating effective communication among team members so they can do their very best work.”
Columbia Hospitality partnered with HelloShift for its comprehensive features and tools, perfectly addressing specific issues at each property. “The all-encompassing toolkit made perfect sense for the specific issues that needed to be immediately addressed at each of these properties,” said Gavaldon.
HelloShift’s all-in-one approach eliminates data silos and reduces the need for multiple applications, providing an integrated solution for hotel operations management.
HelloShift’s Guest Messaging tools have significantly improved communication at The Finch, greatly enhancing the guest experience and delighting our visitors. “We receive positive feedback constantly from our guests about how responsive our team is with communication,” said Davis.
Hotels see up to a 14% increase in service scores within the first 3 months when implementing guest messaging solutions.
Key improvements include:
Davis noted that staff quickly adopted the guest communication tools because features like Snippets are easy to implement. “Team members love the autonomy and ability to customize their own responses to guests, enhancing their communication effectiveness.”
Text messaging is the most preferred form of communication while traveling, with 70% of travelers preferring to communicate with hotels via digital channels such as live chat, WhatsApp, SMS, and Facebook Messenger.
The hotel staff communication platform fostered accountability and enhanced operational efficiency across the three properties. Teams with high communication satisfaction scores demonstrate 32% higher productivity levels, while staff collaboration platforms increase staff productivity and provide cost savings through operational efficiency with real-time visibility into hotel operations eliminating dropped tasks, miscommunication, and expensive mistakes.
Davis deeply appreciates HelloShift’s workflow management tools like Staff Collaboration for providing a strong sense of accountability at The Finch. From a leadership perspective, HelloShift offers tremendous oversight. “Being able to manage a 24-hour operation, a leader really needs a robust platform like HelloShift. The beauty of its design is that you can access it from home and always have visibility and transparency into what’s going on in real-time ― allowing a GM to monitor the property at any time from any location ― offering real peace of mind.”
Automated scheduling and room assignment uses algorithms to assign rooms based on staff availability and skill levels, optimizing workload balance and reducing manual planning day-to-day. HelloShift’s hotel housekeeping management software provides:
Automating scheduling and room assignment eliminates staff shortages, reduces manual planning time, creates fair and transparent scheduling systems that improve staff satisfaction, and enables housekeeping managers to focus on other tasks while improving communication and keeping housekeepers and managers aligned with clear task assignments.
Columbia Hospitality now integrates HelloShift with Oracle OPERA Cloud, a platform that accelerates innovation and secures data, bringing a new level of excitement and security. This property management platform orchestrates hotel operations, tracks guest preferences, and manages room inventory and rates, ensuring a seamless experience for our guests.
The expansion of HelloShift at Columbia Hospitality was a resounding success, leading to significant operational improvements. “The impact of going digital with HelloShift was enormous,” recalls Gavaldon. Employees responded enthusiastically, reaffirming the choice of HelloShift for its effective communication and task management solutions.
Morgan Davis put it best: “Using HelloShift’s many functions eliminates the need for multiple platforms, creating a sense of convenience and satisfaction. I’ve worked at many properties in my career and have used many traditional and fragmented tools, but now HelloShift simply brings them all together in one cohesive platform.”
Columbia Hospitality’s digital transformation journey with HelloShift demonstrates the powerful impact of integrated hotel operations software. By combining hotel guest messaging software, hotel staff communication platforms, and hotel housekeeping management software into one solution, properties can achieve:
As the hospitality industry continues evolving, properties implementing comprehensive digital solutions like HelloShift position themselves for sustained success and exceptional guest service delivery.
Your front desk answers first—AI Assistant steps in only when needed. Transform operations with two-way guest texting, mobile check-in, unified team messaging, and streamlined housekeeping.
Start your free 14-day trial today. No credit card required. Join 1,000+ properties using AI to answer every call, digitize operations, and delight guests.
Expert insights, case studies, and strategies from hotels using AI to boost revenue and delight guests
